Klitschko vs. Adamek

Is Klitschko One Of The All-Time Greats?

Today, Vitali Klitschko will face Tomasz Adamek for the WBC heavyweight title. Will Klitschko be able to continue his dominance and assert himself as one of the all-time greatest heavyweights in history?

The task of responding to this question is not an easy undertaking. To consider the Ukrainian fighter as one of the best, we must compare him to the best in history. The dilemma that arises is: How does one compare fighters from one era to another? I often hear old-timers say that they prefer Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis or even Jack Dempsey, while baby boomers tend to glorify Muhammad Ali and “generation next” goes for the likes of Mike Tyson.

To determine whether Klitschko is an all-time great heavyweight, I will have to eliminate my own particular prejudices and set up certain attributes that can be measured scientifically to come to a clear conclusion. The question is: What will the criteria include?

To start off, we must consider achievements in the ring. Boxing's landscape is littered with fighters whose successes did not end up matching their skill or talent. Dominance should also be considered, even if this factor might work against Klitschko, who is boxing in an era with limited talent pools. Nevertheless, it should be included, as it rewards fighters who stood out from their peers.

The quality of opposition should also be on the list. Having an impressive record is important, but would you consider a fighter among the elite fighters in the world if his opposition was not? The point isn’t to have a perfect record, but rather for a boxer to fight the best fighters out there, and that needs to be rewarded.

Finally, historical impact and mainstream appeal should also be taken into account. This attribute can be a disadvantage for most modern fighters, who compete in a time when boxing is no longer considered a mainstream sport. Nonetheless, it does boost the candidacies of those few contemporary boxers who have achieved crossover recognition.

Achievements in the ring and dominance

Achievements in the ring can be expressed in different forms. Klitschko has amassed an impressive record of 42 wins, two losses and 39 knockouts in 44 fights. He has an 88.64% knockout rate in 209 rounds boxed at the professional level. Yet these statistics do not reflect notable achievements in the ring because of the unknown variable, which is the quality of his opposition.

An example of notable achievement would be when George Foreman won the World Heavyweight Championship, lost it, retired, and then came back 10 years later and regained the crown at age 45 against a dominant Michael Moorer, who had just beaten Evander Holyfield for the IBF and WBA heavyweight titles.

Klitschko does not have that kind of notable achievement. However, the 40-year-old Ukrainian fighter entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1999 as the first world champion in the heavyweight category who won 26 fights by knockout, for which he needed the least amount of rounds. Another notable achievement is that he has never been behind in a judge’s scorecard in any of his fights (including his two losses).

The European press is always quick to point out that Klitschko has a chin made of granite, as he has never been knocked down in a fight. But these reporters seem to conveniently forget that Klitschko chose to quit against Chris Byrd because of a shoulder injury.

Following this first loss of his career, people questioned his heart. A despondent Klitschko responded with this statement: “People can believe me when I say I was very hurt, or they don't have to, but I fought as hard as I could for as long as I could. I did not want to stop. I had to.” When you consider that Klitschko’s only other loss has been on a cut (to Lennox Lewis), it’s clear that he has been a dominating performer.

On the other hand, Klitschko dominated what is clearly a weak heavyweight division. When you think back to Muhammad Ali, you know he fought some of the best heavyweights in history; including Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, and Larry Holmes.

While Klitschko is currently the WBC World Heavyweight Champion and previous WBO and WBC heavyweight title holder, the 40-year-old fighter fails to make enough of an impact in the ring to be considered even among names like Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield. I believe that his younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko, who is the current IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion, has been more dominant in the division than Vitali.

We further consider whether Vitali Klitschko is one of the all-time greats after the jump...